Tamping tool



W. J- YARD TAMPING TOOL March 4, 1969 Sheet Filed March 10, 1967 W. J. YARD TAMPING TOOL Match 4, 1969 Sheet Filed March 10, 1967 March 4, 1969 w. J. YARD 3,430,579.

TAMPING TOOL Filed March 10, 1967 Sheet F of a United States Patent 3,430,579 TAMPING TOOL William J. Yard, Cavan, South Australia, Australia, assignor to Australian Railway Equipment Supply Company Proprietary Limited, Adelaide, Australia, and Trak-Chief Manufacturing Proprietary Ltd., Cavan, South Australia, Australia Filed Mar. 10, 1967, Ser. No. 622,274 Claims priority, application Australia, Mar. 15, 1966, 2,897/66 US. Cl. 104-42 8 Claims Int. Cl. Etllb 27/16 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A tamping machine for tamping the ballast of a railroad track wherein hydraulic cylinders drive tamping tools downwardly into railroad ballast and then inwardly towards one another while the tools are vibrated.

This invention relates to a tamping machine being suitable for tamping the ballast of railroad tracks.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple tamping tool which is inexpensive, which provides ready means for application of vibratory means, and which is effective in tamping beneath the ties or sleepers of a railroad track. This invention may be said to consist of a tamping machine suitable for tamping the ballast of a railroad track, comprising a main frame, rail engaging wheels supporting the main frame, guides upstanding on the main frame, guide engaging means engaging the guides, vibrators carried by the guide engaging means, tamping tools on the guide engaging means, and hydraulic cylinders operably coupled to both the guide engaging means and the main frame to raise or lower the guide engaging means relative to the main frame.

With this invention the guide engaging means can conveniently be arranged to carry the vibratory means, and the entire construction can be made simple and rugged.

An embodiment of the invention is described hereunder in some detail with reference to and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tamping machine,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section illustrating the guides, guide engaging means and hydraulic cylinders,

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section taken on plane 4-4 of FIG. 3, and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary broken section taken on plane 5-5 of FIG. 4.

According to this embodiment a tamping machine comprises a main frame which is supported by rail engaging wheels 11, and the frame is provided with an engine 12, a hydraulic pump and hydraulic valves (not shown).

The frame is provided with a total of four guide engaging means designated 14, each carrying four tamping tools 15. The tamping tools of adjacent guide engaging means are arranged in opposed pairs, and are generally arranged in two groups, the first group of four being arranged to tamp ballast at the intersection of one rail and a tie or sleeper, and the second group of four being arranged to tamp ballasts at the itnersection of the other rail and the same tie or sleeper. Each pair of tamping tools is arranged to enter the ballast in a corner between the tie and rail. Each of the four guide engaging means 14 engages a respective guide post 18 upstanding from the frame 10, and also supports a rotary driven vibrator 19.

Each post 18 is of channel form, and the web of the channel contains a slot 21 through which passes a pin 22. The pin 22 also pivotally joins guide engaging means 14 in opposing pairs (FIG. 2), and a central guide roller 23 which runs between the flanges of the channel post (FIG. 4). Outer reaction guide rollers 25 are carried on the guide engaging means 14 and positioned above respective central guide rollers 23, the rollers 25 engaging tracks on the outer surfaces of the flanges of the channel posts 18. A tension spring 26 joins the upper ends of the guide engaging means 14, and the tamping tools 15 are thereby retained normally in a substantially parallel and vertical position, from which they can be displaced inwardly towards each other upon extension of spring 26.

Plates 29 secured to the frame 10 pivotally support hydraulic cylinders 30, the piston rods 31 of which are pivoted to the guide engaging means 14. When the cylinders 30 operate to drive the piston rods 31, downward movement of the guide engaging means 14 is arrested either by a spacer block 34 or by bottoming of the pin 22 in the slot 21 (if the spacer block 34 is removed), and continued downward movement of the piston rods 31 closes the tamping tools 15 inwardly towards each other, by rocking the guide engaging means 14 about pin 22. At the same time the vibrators 19 are driven by their respective hydraulic motors 36.This then has the effect of firmly packing the ballast beneath the sleepers or ties on each side of the rail, and each tie or sleeper can be separately packed in this manner beneath each rail simultaneously. By reversal of direction of the hydraulic cylinder, the initial movement will be guided to be arcuately outwardly from the ballast (under action of the spring 26) and then upwardly, being guided by the slot in the upstanding bar or post on the frame. Shafts 40 carrying sprockets 41 with chains 42 couple together adjacent guide engaging means 14 (FIG. 3) to ensure they move up and down together. FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 illustrate rail clamping means wherein a handle 45 rocks a pivoted frame 46 (shown in plan in FIG. 5) into position over a rail (the drawings illustrate the retracted position). A cylinder 47 is operable to close a movable rail gripper 48 relative to a fixed rail gripper 49, thereby gripping a rail and preventing lifting of the machine as the tamping tools are driven into the ballast.

In order to prevent excessive vibration being imparted to the machine, a resilient sleeve 51 surrounds pin 22, and a resilient sleeve 52 surrounds a member 53 on each of the guide engaging means.

It will be seen that many variations can be introduced within this invention, and for example guide means for guiding the frame downwardly can simply consist of a single guide track engaged by a pair of rollers so arranged that as the vibratory tool moves downwardly it also moves arcuately inwardly. If desired the guiding can also be assisted or can be effected by engagement of the swinging end of the vibratory mounting plate with a guide track. Alternatively chains may be used to effect the necessary guiding and also to deliver the desired power, and if necessary, to operate all tools simultaneously.

Another variation which can be introduced is the use of lifting and transversely moving jacks on the machine, these enabling the rails, when gripped, to be transversely moved, so that the machine can additionally be used for rail alignment.

It will be seen however that these and other similar variations lie within this invention, which makes possible a very simple machine for effectively vibrating ballast, and that by varying amplitude and frequency optimum conditions can readily be obtained for varying types of ballast.

What I claim is:

1. A tamping machine suitable for tamping the ballast of a railroad track, comprising:

a main frame, rail engaging wheels supporting the main frame, guides upstanding on the main frame, guide engaging means engaging the guides, vibrators carried by the guide engaging means, tamping tools on the guide engaging means, and hydraulic cylinders operably coupled to both the guide engaging means and the main frame to raise or lower the guide engaging means relative to the main frame to thereby remove the tamping tools from ballast or force the tamping tools into ballast, respectively, the tamping tools being arranged in opposed pairs, and the coupling between the hydraulic cylinders and the main frame, and the coupling between the hydraulic cylinders and the guide engaging means are both constituted by pivotal connections, the guide engaging means being so arranged relative to the guides, main frame and hydraulic cylinders that the tamping tools of each pair attached thereto move inwardly towards each other upon extension of the hydraulic cylinders.

2. A tamping machine according to claim 1 wherein a pair of guide engaging means carry respective tamping tools of any opposed pair and are positioned on opposite sides of a respective said guide, and further comprising a pivot pin joining the guide engaging means of the pair, the pivot pin constituting trunnion means guided by said respective guide, a roller on each of said guide engaging means positioned above the pivot pin, a spring between the pair of guide engaging means urging the rollers into engagement with the outer surface of the respective guide, and means limiting downward movement of the guide engagement means, said pivotal connections between the hydraulic cylinders and the guide engagement means being positioned outwardly of said pivot pin joining the pair of guide engagement means so that upon continued extension of the hydraulic cylinders after completion of downward movement of the guide engagement means, said inward movement of the tamping tool is effected.

3. A tamping machine suitable for tamping the ballast of the railroad track, comprising:

a main frame, rail engaging wheels supporting the main frame, guides upstanding on the main frame, guide engaging means, pivot pins connecting the guide engaging means together in pairs, respective said guides guiding said pairs of guide engaging means for straight line movement, limit means limiting the straight line movement of the guide engaging means in a downward direction, tamping tools depending from the guide engaging means, spring means between the guide engaging means of each pair retaining the guide engaging means in a position wherein the tamping tools are substantially parallel to each other during said straight line movement, and bydraulic cylinders operatively coupled to said frame and said guide engaging means with pivotal connections, the pivotal connections on the guide engaging means being displaced outwardly from respective said pivot pins whereby upon termination of said straight line movement and continued extension of said hydraulic cylinders, the guide engaging means pivot about said pivot pin thereby moving said tamping tools towards each other.

4. A tamping machine according to claim 3 wherein the guides are of channel section and contain a central slot extending centrally along the web of the channel, and further comprising rollers on respective pivot pins engaging the inner faces of the flanges of the channel section guides, the pivot pins passing through respective said slot, further rollers on said guide engaging means disposed upwardly from said pivot pins and engaging tracks on or constituted by the outer surfaces of said flanges, said spring means being constituted by a tension spring extending between the guide engaging means of each pair above the respective said pivot pin whereby the spring urges said further rollers into engagement with the tracks.

5. A tamping machine according to claim 4 wherein said limit means are constituted by spacer blocks engageable by said guide engaging means at the end of their downward movement.

6. A tamping machine according to claim 4 wherein each said guide engaging means carries a pair of said tamping tools, there being two pairs of guide engaging means on each side of the machine, thereby constituting tamping means for the tamping of ballast on each side of each sleeper or tie and on each side of each roller simultaneously.

7. A tamping machine suitable for tamping the ballast of a railroad track, comprising:

a main frame, rail engaging wheels supporting the main frame, guides upstanding on the main frame, guide engaging means, means on the guide engaging means engaging the guides but being secured to the guide engaging means through a resilient sleeve, vibrators carried by the guide engaging means, tamping tools on the guide engaging means, hydraulic cylinders pivotally coupled at their ends to both the guide engaging means and the main frame to raise or lower the guide engaging means relative to the main frame, said pivotal coupling between the hydraulic cylinders and the guide engaging means including resilient sleeves, the guide engaging means being so arranged relative to the guides, main frame and hydraulic cylinders that the tamping tools of each pair attached thereto move inwardly towards each other upon extension of the hydraulic cylinders.

8. A tamping machine according to claim 7 further including a frame pivoted to the main frame, means to raise or lower the pivoted frame about its axis of pivot, rail grippers on the pivoted frame, and a hydraulic cylinder operable to close the rail grippers over the rail when the machine is supported thereby.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,956,513 10/1960 Philbrick 104-12 3,000,328 9/1961 Plasser et a1 10412 3,016,023 1/1962 Plasser et al. 104-12 3,028,818 4/1962 Philbrick 104-12 3,071,082 1/ 1963 Talboys 10412 3,343,497 9/ 1967 Stewart 104-12 3,357,366 12/1967 Plasser et al 10412 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD A. BERTSCH, Assistant Examiner. 

